$-Rays by Henry Leverage Read online

  you don’t find anything you had better try the put it all back and sealed the vaults.”

  other cities — Washington, Boston, and

  “Have you tried the other vaults?”

  Philadelphia.”

  “They’re all right—the shortage is in

  “We’ll try them all before we’re the old building. The kegs and boxes I tried in through, unless I run across something. I’ll be the new, check to a grain. There’s nothing

  back by five. You better make arrangements

  missing there.”

  for me to spend the night in vault three. You

  “Leave your report,” said Aldrich,

  ought to have your chief weigher’s report by mopping his brow for the tenth time. “Leave

  then.”

  it. I’ll warn you, or any one who assisted you Aldrich nodded as Drew passed in the weighing, to keep silent as a graveyard through the doorway. He feared this chief

  about the matter. We can’t allow the

  weigher’s report as some condemned felon

  newspapers to get hold of it. If they do we’re would fear the drop. Its coming hung over him never going to get the gold back.”

  like a sword of Damocles. The shortage was

  “Get it back?” queried the chief

  already sufficient to cause consternation at weigher.

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  10

  “Sure—it’s gone somewhere.”

  Triggy Drew stepped into the Sub-

  “So has the winter. Do you know what

  Treasury as the clock in Trinity Tower was

  the men say who were helping me?”

  striking five. He tapped on Aldrich’s door,

  Aldrich frowned as he glanced then entered at a low voiced, “Come in!”

  upward.

  Aldrich was tossing a gold piece in the

  “They say, Mr. Aldrich, that the mint’s

  air, then catching it on the fly. “I’ve got an bought some new imitation gold that goes into idea!” he blurted, glancing round.

  vapor like phosphorus or radium. They say

  “Same here,” said Drew. “Let’s hear

  that somebody’s discovered how to make a

  yours.”

  near-gold that isn’t stable. Do you think that

  “I’ve been over the receipts of gold

  can be?”

  from outside sources.” Aldrich reached and

  “Say,” said Aldrich. “Say, Roscoe, if

  picked up a report submitted to him by the

  you or anybody else were to walk in here and chief clerk of the receiving department.

  tell me that pink monkeys were chasing brass

  “There’s just three prospects in it—the rest are parrots about the assay-rooms, I’d believe too well known to question. One smelter of them.”

  gold is Levi of Houston Street. He deposited Roscoe edged toward the doorway.

  with us all of $20,000 during the last week.

  “Yes—I’d believe them! It ain’t a bit

  Another is Simpkins of the Bowery. He

  more unlikely than gold melting or violet rays brought in 883,000 gold and a lot of bullion-to kill at twenty miles or powder so powerful bricks which are not yet refined. The third is that a pinch would destroy the city, It’s a great Grossman and Monneson of Wall Street. They

  age—this age of war and invention. They’re

  sent over yesterday and to-day about $100,000

  melting my gold away right under my eyes,

  in gold ingots. These ingots run well to lead and I can’t see it go. I’d sooner have the pink and other base metals.”

  monkey about, than what is really happening.”

  “Their place isn’t far from here—is

  “So would I.”

  it?” asked Drew interested.

  Aldrich, who was looking for

  “Half a block.”

  sympathy, frowned as the chief weigher edged

  “Ump!”

  out through the doorway, and closed the door

  “Close, eh? So close that I looked

  softly behind him.

  them up. Grossman is dead. Monneson runs

  “You’re hard luck!” he snapped as he

  the business which is considerable, judging

  swivelled in his chair. “You’re about as from the records of our office. Queer they cheerful as a picture of No-Man’s Land.”

  should jump their transactions with us just

  Aldrich tired finally of accusing when the shortage was discovered?”

  himself. He tapped the desk, found a half-

  “Were they paid for the gold they

  smoked perfecto in one of the pigeonholes,

  left?”

  lighted this, and leaned back with his feet

  “Yes—in large, gold certificates.”

  cocked upon the extension slide. “I’ll wait,”

  Drew glanced at a paper he drew from

  he decided, more cheerfully. “I’ll wait for that his coat pocket.

  ‘old-cash-clothes’ detective to return. I’ll lock

  “Great minds,” he began, then paused.

  him in the vault overnight, and then I’ll make

  “Do you know that I had that firm

  my report out to the treasurer. It ’11 take me marked from the police sheets. It’s locality, so two hours to tell him what I don’t know about close to the Sub-Treasury, set me thinking.

  the missing gold.”

  Their report given to the police this morning

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  was practically nil—a few thousand dollars’

  house—the next is a back extension to

  worth of bullion and watch-cases bought from Grossman and Monneson’s nice little assay-Maiden Lane jewelers. The day before that it office and smelter. Doors and windows

  was less. From the sheet I wouldn’t believe

  covered with sheet iron in regulation security.

  they did enough business to pay for the No lights that I can see. Looks all right but lights.”

  then looks, like twenty-dollar gold pieces,

  “A hundred thousand in a day is no

  may be counterfeited.”

  trifle.”

  Aldrich turned back and drew the

  Drew thrust his hands in his pockets

  detective across the street. “We’ve seen all and strode across the floor of the manager’s there is to see,” he said, glancing at his watch.

  office. He brought up with a sharp turn. “I’ll

  “We’d better go to the Sub-Treasury and think put the Center Street runners on Monneson’s

  this over. Monneson is up-town, perhaps, and trail!” he snapped, as he reached for the the Central Office is taking care of him.”

  telephone. “We might as well find out all we Drew paused at the corner. His glance

  can of Monneson. They can trail him to-night, at the barred windows of the smelter and

  and report in the morning.”

  refiner was long and shrewd. Then he went on Aldrich leaned back as Drew spoke

  with Aldrich.

  rapidly into the phone. He hung the receiver An hour later he was securely locked

  up, then stretched his arms.

  in vault three. Aldrich had assured him that

  “He’ll be put to bed, and then some, by

  there would be plenty of air, as a small

  that bunch,” said the detective. “They’ll have ventilator was in one of the corners of the

  his whole history, the story of his life, the kind vault. Drew found this and tested it with cigar of beer or wine he favors and his general

  smoke. It was in working order. He sat down

  character, when we need it. It’s only a then, moved the catch on his flash-light, and suspicion, anyway. Queer, though, we both

  leaned back against the
sacks of gold. He was thought of him? I suppose it’s because he’s

  in total darkness — a darkness so profound he the nearest.”

  was not aware when his eyes were open or

  “We might take a stroll down there,”

  closed.

  suggested Aldrich, rising. “What do you say

  The dull booming of Trinity’s bells

  to a walk round the block? It might freshen us was a faint sound to mark the passage of the as to locality. It might give us an idea. The hours. The rumble of passing trucks came to

  street’s dead from now on. I don’t believe

  him as slight tremors. His hearing became so there’s a thing stirring save a few watchmen acute that he detected the passage of the

  and private detectives.”

  subway-trains that ran under Broadway.

  Drew led the way down the steps of

  Nothing else disturbed his vigil. He

  the Sub-Treasury Building. They both struck

  went over the entire matter of the

  toward Broadway as if by intuition. They disappearance of the gold—the gradual turned at an up-town corner, walked rapidly

  melting of the coins which savored of the

  eastward, and passed the Sub-Treasury upon

  supernatural. He had believed that he would

  its blank side.

  detect the presence of vapor or fume which

  “That’s the old building where the four

  might prove the answer to the problem. He

  vaults are,” said Aldrich, pinching Drew’s sniffed the air now and then without any arm. The detective turned and said, pointing: result. It was pure and sweet. He flashed the

  “The next is a bank—the next a bond

  light about the corners of the vault.

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  Nothing was there save the white-

  Drew’s exclamation caused the chief

  canvas sacks and the rusty walls of the place.

  weigher to pause.

  Aldrich let him out in the morning.

  Aldrich turned. Drew was at the

  “Anything?” he asked as he led the detective telephone. His voice, as he got the connection, to his office.

  was terse, eager.

  “Not even a mouse. Have the gold,

  “Twenty men,” he said. “Yes—

  checked, just the same.”

  twenty! Get them here right away. Send them

  Aldrich pressed the button on the end

  down, two at a time. We’ll start from here!

  of his desk, for the chief assayer. To him he Yes—from the Sub-Treasury. Have a wagon

  repeated Drew’s request. As the door closed, or two handy. We’re going to raid both

  the detective picked up the receiver of the

  offices, Charlie.”

  telephone and called up Central Office. His

  Drew hung up and turned.

  face grew hard as he listened to the report. He

  “What’s this mean?” asked Aldrich.

  turned finally and stepped to the window. Out

  “Quick action! If we don’t have quick

  of this he thrust his head and glanced up and action you won’t have any gold worth

  down the street. The market was not yet open mentioning. Thirty or forty pounds of the

  but the great financial district teemed with yellow metal melted while I was sitting on it.

  clerks and stenographers who were hurrying

  Let’s see—what time it took.” Drew glanced

  to their positions.

  at his watch. He shook it and listened. He

  “We’ll wait for the chief weigher’s

  wound it with a puzzled expression on his

  report,” said Drew, drawing in his head. face. “Funny,” he said. “Funny—it won’t run.

  “After we get this report, we’ll act one way or I thought for a minute that it had run down.

  the other. The matter has cleared considerable Wonder what’s the matter with it?”

  overnight. Monneson has two places of

  Drew opened the back of the case and

  business—one is the assay and refining office peered inside. He thrust in his finger and

  down the street from this building. The other fished out the hair spring which had broken.

  is in the Financial Savings Building. By a

  This he held up to the light like a strand of strange coincidence both his offices are in the human hair. “Nice,” he muttered below his

  basements of the buildings. This fact is breath. “Nice thing. Look at it, Aldrich. It’s suggestive—very suggestive!”

  lost its spring and temper—it’s half eaten

  “The Financial Savings?” exclaimed away!”

  Aldrich. “Why — why that’s right over

  Aldrich took the spring. He felt of it,

  there.” Aldrich pointed toward Broadway,

  then moved to the window. His face wore a

  “Sure,” grinned the detective.

  puzzled twist as he crushed it between his

  Aldrich paced the floor. He was on the

  fingers. “Like lead.” he said slowly. “It’s been point of speaking, when the chief weigher

  eaten by some acid.”

  knocked on the door and then came in.

  Drew grinned. “You’re close.” he said

  “Well?” asked Aldrich.

  positively. “You’re closer than you think—but The chief weigher glanced at his it’s not acid or vapor or anything you could figures, upon a scrap of paper.

  put your fingers on and say you had

  “I’ve checked up the gold in vault something. No. it isn’t as crude as that. One three,” he said slowly. “Checked it up and we thing, though, the same thing happened to that are now short one hundred and nine pounds,

  watch spring that happened to the rivets and eight—”

  the walls of your vaults. In another week

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  they’d all be gone.”

  “Now,” said the detective, “we’ll

  Aldrich stared at the detective, spring what the French call, ‘A fly trap.’”

  blankly. “I don’t see yet—” he began.

  Drew rapidly turned the corner,

  “Nor I!” snapped Drew. “I know this,

  grasped Aldrich’s arm, and paused as he

  however. There’s a force at work that attacks reached the basement steps that led to

  all metals at a distance. It not only attacks but Monneson’s exchange-room.

  it also takes away. This force can be governed

  “A quick rush, boys!” he exclaimed.

  and directed. I’m no scientist, but it is not a far

  “Draw your guns and round up everybody you

  step from what has already been done and

  find below. Come on Aldrich!”

  what is known.

  Somebody—Monneson

  The detective sprang down the stairs,

  perhaps—has jumped the age a decade or thrust open the door and dashed in. “Take more, and, being a crook, he’s used it against those two!” he shouted over shoulder, as he

  the greatest collection of gold in the history of pointed toward the clerks behind a netting.

  the world. If we don’t stop him he’ll have it

  “Come on, Aldrich!” he repeated as he twisted all. We’ll stop him. I’ll take the chance of a a knob, then sprang in through a second

  raid. If I’m wrong, then it’s flowers and doorway. Aldrich followed at his heels. The another job for me.”

  room was bare, save for a litter of strong

  “But can’t we go slower?” asked boxes, kegs, and papers. Drew stood in the Aldrich. “Don’t you think we’d better center of the floor, allowed his eyes to wander investigate his smelter and his office before over the walls
, then stepped to a closed closet we raid?”

  door. It was locked. The detective squared his

  “No I don’t!” Drew’s voice was jaw as he swung his leg, lifted his foot, and positive. “I’ve seen too many birds fly, to wait brought his heel crashing against the panel

  for an empty nest. Now’s the golden near the lock. He repeated the blow. The panel moment.”

  splintered. Drew reached inside, fingered the

  “It’s golden, all right,” said Aldrich.

  catch, then smiled grimly as the door came

  “Well, here’s the ‘C. O.’ detectives, so let’s open.

  get on the job.”

  Aldrich leaned over the detective’s

  Drew marshaled the twenty detectives

  shoulder. The closet was about eight feet

  who arrived within minutes of each other.

  square. Against the wall on the side

  “Surround Monneson’s smelter place

  furthermost from the door hung a black

  down the block,” he told twelve of them.

  covering such as photographers use. Drew

  “Surround it—don’t let anybody in or out.

  reached out and brushed this aside. Behind it Four of you go through the whole plant —

  in an alcove that ran under the sidewalk, stood hold everybody—then report to me. The rest

  an arrangement of wires and plates, with one of us will be at the office in the basement of insulated conductor extending to a small

  the Financial Savings Building. There’s wash-basin. Drew stepped to this, wrapped his enough to take care of everything.”